Category: BCM110

During BCM110 blogs there has been a number of issues and subjects that have been debated and changed my way of thinking. I have seen various Blogs which show so many different perspectives to my own that it is quite fascinating that a question can be answered in numerous ways. These are some of the subjects we discussed about:
–Denotation and Connotation – Children’s Influence -Moral Panic– Public Sphere – Mass Media

Denotation and Connotation was one of my favourites as it brought out a creative side of me where we looked at an image and saw it for what it was then ventured deeper into another meaning of what truly was being put across. This image of ‘Signified’ and ‘Signifier.’ I found through this work by picking up various magazines and going on adventures through the internet that vast amounts of pictures how very different meanings instead of what was actually seen.

Image: Denotation and Connotation

Children’s influences on society. A lot of the media’s development and technology is further looking for ways to keep the younger and more fragile minds away from the internet in order to see nothing too harsh or very wrong. Though the advancement of technology is never ending. The future is ahead of us and society is taking to long to adapt. Children being younger minds and easier to manipulate or react to new things take on this approach leading to a Moral panic for society to cling on to these children to help or prevent any risks from under going.

Image: Children and the Internet

The Public sphere was also an amazing discussion about what shows were really attracting their audience and what they wanted them to view. It seemed at times that reality shows or popular shows had a message behind them all. Some shows portraying news and politics within an animation back ground while others on how they treated their contestants gave them greater power. Such examples can be American Dad and Big Brother.

Image: American Dad

Finally the major view that changed my perspective of the internet and social media is who truly controlled the Mass Media. Originally I didn’t think the number of most popular websites and such could be only a majority of six individuals who bought out these companies. As I only use YouTube and Facebook. I found that by researching and finding out why we needed to know who controlled the Mass Media was because of their influence and their message they all portray.

Image: Control over Media

Further more I wanted to leave with this Reflection that not only was the subjects and issued faced were interesting but as well as viewing and meeting new peoples blogs which made this experience more outstanding.

America’s Next Top Model, is a very popular fashion/reality show that has been around since 2003. It is a competition for women looking for a career within the modelling industries and seen as supermodel of America. How the show comes together is individuals come for auditions in order to be placed in the final group to further compete against each other. The judges critique contestant’s progress. During its amount of time the show has been through a range of stereotypes to reach out to different audiences to higher their views.

How a woman is viewed is a very common question for people that direct it at magazines and modelling industries as they tend to portray a specific woman with certain body features to be acknowledged as a supermodel rather than her personality. This has always been questioned and debated by many females. A view of a woman beingskinny or slim infuriated women to not want to see this view in the public’s eye to influence teens or children. A good strategy is how ‘America’s next top Model’ took this question towards their ‘cycles’ and changed up themes and stereotypes to make it more equal as well as create a bigger audience.

Image: Too Skinny

Weight is always viewed critical for a modelling career as the contestant needs to have a good body rather than an intelligent mind. A lot of issues have been brought up about this when questioning a woman’s body. The way modelling industries come across is that they starve people in order to become the individual they need to be even when the show does not look at individuals who suffer from Bulimia or Anorexia but if they did acknowledge it, it would only be for views which offends viewers.

How the show promotes more views for a vast audience is to achieve a need for various activities to strike peoples interest. Being that this show is a reality show they take that advantage and use it on their contestants, their emotions, their background, fights, and attitudes that they find within these people in the audition’s to place in the show to make it more interesting. A lot of viewers indeed like this and it attracts them but this is an issue with how the show operates for its contestants. They do activities and place their contestants at risk which sometimes can lead them over the edge without thinking and just only be doing it for the show.

These issues and views contribute to debates and discussion made to look at the perspectives within the public sphere as it is a mediated public sphere that is controlled and focused upon key areas of the show in order to pin point only what the audience wants rather than the contestants.

The person, who controls the Media, has control over its user’s opinions and perspectives which in turn they predict and manipulate their views into a lie or focus upon their view of a side. The Media and Social Media Platforms have control over a vast amount of space on the internet. These Media areas focus upon a target that is either recent or a relevant issue being developed at the time to provide sources that people may view upon and direct them into the area they want them to go or be influenced by this scenario.

By this manipulating behaviour of belief within maybe that of a lie the individuals ideologies are challenged and debated through Social Media Platforms to discuss these sources such as elections, campaigns or views on equality etc. This controversial view of what should and should not be viewed revolves around the world. The Mass Media abuses this power they have over their user’s to work and manipulate their thoughts and perspectives so they can either be on their favour or take their belief.

Whoever owns the most Mass Media areas controls their users and buyers which give them more power and a lot more money. That is why the Australian Communications and Media Authority help provide insurance in diversity and control over the Medias Ownerships.

Image (The Mass Media’s Effect On an Individual)

Who owns the media I use?
I use the two simple Social Media Platforms which are Facebook and Youtube. Facebook is owned by Mark Zuckerburg. Youtube is owned by Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim.

Image (Youtube/Facebook)

What difference does it make?

Each Social Media platform I use all have different ways of projecting their news and style towards their users. It is depending on this style that makes each different and unique to its users which captures their interest.

Facebook captures their audience through the use of a public personal detail social website that is connected to friends, family, co-workers and so forth. It builds upon this structure of society and sharing their views over Facebook to discuss opinions and relevant use to create controversy between people. Facebook would change people’s perspectives by the content and sources they give onto their site to be passed around and viewed by each individual. It also helps people to throw their own opinions on posting and commenting.

While Youtube however is a different method and style all together as it is a Video based platform that focuses on every aspect of the world’s news, events, festivals, lifestyle and plenty more. It posts regular videos that make people influence to do or rethink themselves of various things that they watch or listen to. A change in music, a chance to try
something new or even put out their own perspective through vlogs and comments.

This difference between the Social Media Platforms shows the perspectives of individuals being toyed with and manipulated to view what Mass Media wants them to view.

Focus yourself on the drink, ‘SKYY Vodka’ being the main target. A lot of advertisements for Vodka are controversial and seen in various perspectives. The view of the picture must be Denotation (Signifier) and Connotation. (Signified) The ‘Signifier’ is the view seen on the picture, what is actually there which give meaning or view put across. The ‘Signified’ is the deeper and more in depth view of what the pictures focus or ideas are evoked to mentally be displayed.

‘Signifier’:

A man hiding or camouflaged inside the chair.

A woman standing over him yet looking directly at him with a focused facial expression.

Two Glasses of Martini’s with two olives in both with a clear glimmer and shine to the glasses.

The Shaker in the woman’s hand, showing a connection to maybe even the ‘007 movies’ with the famous quote ‘Shaken not stirred.’

The buildings displayed in the background representing a high view of where it is located. (Maybe a penthouse or apartment)

The man is wearing a black clean suit while the woman portrays herself with a very elegant yet lustful black dress maybe even to define that she is sexually desirable and beautiful.

‘Signified’:

The colour of the purple texture to blend in with the background. The same colour as of the bottle.

The colour of the bottle and the background could also demonstrate the view of the title of the bottle being named ‘SKYY’ to represent the outside sky is purple.

The man is shadowed or hiding in the chair which has the same colour material as the bottle to maybe enlighten the view that he is ‘intoxicated’ or ‘inside the actual bottle.’

The woman’s leg caresses the man’s to define sexual attraction and even with her facial expression to develop a view of desire and lust. Along with her arm stretched out while her fingers gentle place upon the chair, defining this sense of wanting and ‘claiming.’ Leading to speculate the man is desirable.

The Martini glasses sparkle and glim to help focus the fact upon the drink.

The woman’s desirable sense for the man can go back to the view of where the actual background is set in that of a rich and wealthy background to reflect his structure as well as power.

I believe that the view of the bottle is enticing that, if you drink or buy this drink that the original view of the bottle’s words ‘SKYY’ would mean you are floating on air and demonstrates by the colour of the background a sense that you might as well be consumed in the drink yourself. But it will also promote desire and lust by all women that would want to claim you or want to be with you. As well as the man’s feature it will represent class and over all power of whatever you want.

The media is always being blamed for something and it is ever changing as the world turns. There are positives and are negatives as they show two very different stories.

The media is being blamed at this present time for the constant evolution in gaming. The media is targeted by the parents of children in contact with gaming violence. This interaction is what is being seen as dangerous and lethal to the young minds we have today. This is justified by the interaction with R18+ or MA15+ and even M rated games being played by some children under this age. These games have various scenarios of shooting, killing, bombs and even nudity. Such games as ‘Grand Theft Auto,’ ‘Saints Row,’ and ‘Call of Duty’ is being targeted by these views along with having to be believed creating aggressive compulsive behaviours and somewhat influence children to pass on these behaviours outside their rooms.

Image: Control

These gaming companies have justified what is right for the children by the ratings they give to these games. It has been stated why these children are influenced and lead them to want the game is because of the popularity or even the view of it being seen as ‘not allowed’ or ‘bad.’ A further study has come into the picture on how these children are impacted by these games. They stated that children become more aggressive and more confrontational to fights with peers and older individuals. (2013, Norcia) By that shouldn’t the parents be viewed as they are the ones allowing the children to rent or buy the game? Even parents should understand that these children should be supervised while playing as the parents do not know what is in the game. The NYU Language Medical Centre plans to help the risk of these children’s influences in how to help the parents improve to acknowledge what the kids are playing and maybe even getting involved to keep a well founded family balance.

Even stories over lap and over think situations as maybe it is not by playing a simply game but by the background of the child’s family, violence within home, people they hang around with and maybe even influenced by alcohol or drugs. It makes you truly think why if the children or the individual is played in this scenario with this background to just target the accessories or activities in which they did to believe that, that was what provoked them.

Image: Children Playing

I really wonder what the ratings of people or views of how many people actually look at ratings or reviews for games or movies for their children rather than the cover or back. My point is that we should not target the media as for movies and games have shown/told the world what is right and wrong but do we care what rating is on a single game/movie?